[Q] Lagging/Performance issues - International version better for me? - Galaxy S III Q&A, (US Carriers)

Hi everyone.
As you can see, very new to these forums but looks to be a friendly community and I look forward to settling in.
Any who, onto why I made this thread. I received my Galaxy S3 last Friday from AT&T, I paid $573 for no commitment because I'm canceling service with them and using Straight Talk. It started off all good, booted up the phone and had no problems with set up.
However, this soon changed after I got over the initial joy of having a new phone and started to look at it more closely. The home screens stutter when sliding them across, and the app drawer is really not a whole lot better. I'm not talking like freezing lag, but definitely not something you'd want to see on a sub $600 phone...
I ran a few benchmarks and my fears were confirmed.
Antutu: Highest - 5543 on a fresh wipe, 4900 on average. My girlfriend gets 6300 on her SGS2 Looks like the SGS3 should be around 8-10k.
Quadrant Standard - 3273 on mine with a fresh wipe, girlfriend getting 3900 on her S2. Looks like it should be getting about 5000 on average.
So obviously something is wrong with my phone, as even temple run stutters every now and then. I blame bloatware, and AT&T, may not be AT&Ts fault but I hate them. If it matters my CPU seems to be the only thing that isn't scoring as it should, usually it says it is clocked around .9-1.1GHZ, no where near the 1.5 it should. I've tried factory resetting, wiping the cache, soft resetting, and trying to use no sim card at all to see if it made a difference.
Anyway, I'm sorry if you're still reading this, but I'm frustrated, so I'll just ask my questions..
Should I return it, or is there someway I can fix this besides what I've tried?
Is the international version better suited for me because I won't even be using LTE on Straight Talk?
Would the international version have firmware updates a lot quicker than the AT&T version?
Thanks everyone!
TL;DR - I think my AT&T SGS3 is a lemon, and wont be using LTE anyway, should I return it and buy a international version for the updates and quad core?

Sounds like your device has some issues. You should be having a very smooth experience. I would return it for another LTE version, and wouldn't worry about the International version. The S4 dual core is a beast. The extra gb of ram makes the choice for me a no brainer. To each his own though.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

that sounds off- the phone performs good will mostly get over 5000 each time on quadrant- did u check to see if your phone setting may have the power performance cap on? this caps cpu at 1ghz to help conserve battery. if not your phone may be defective.

Thanks for the replies, and no power saving mode is off.
I called AT&T today earlier and they just acted like I was stupid, even though they had no idea what they were talking about.
I guess I'll have to return then, just don't know whether to go for a refund or a replacement..

I'm kinda feel the same way as the op. After a few days in I thought this phone should scream along the screens and I'm getting a lot of stutter. I've used apex and nova launchers and they both display the same stuttering. Somehow I feel cheated that I want to trade for and international version even though giving up on ram, and no LTE. I'm hoping Jelly Bean can bring about butter smoothness as its been of the features of JB. But when will we actually play with JB on our phones, not for some time and even longer without sources. I would love to play with the international just to see which one I like better

I think the international version is a tad faster, and it's definitely faster wwith getting updates which is the main reason I am considering it.

Coming from exynos based sgs2 I'm also pretty disappointed with user interface lag and stutter. Even with nova launcher, it doesn't help. I turned off animations and transitions just so that I'll see less of the lag. Would I get the international version (assuming I had enough money)? No, because I'm utterly blown away by LTE speeds and browser/chrome is running beautifully, and that's more important for me.
Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2

I have had the AT&T (Qualcomm) version for a week now, and have not detected a single instance of lag or stutter. Smooth as "butter". Could be some ill-behaving apps causing your issues... for instance, I know that the official Facebook app is especially bad. I dumped it in favor of something called "Friendcaster" on my old Captivate, and lag pretty much went away.

I have the white AT&T SGS3 and I can honestly say this phone is "butter" smooth.

international has a lot more root and dev support but as for your phone's performance, it looks like they shipped you a defect. i can get 4700 on quadrant with facebook and browser in background. the rest depends on you. if you are a heavy phone user, you should get another lte version as you likely got a defective phone. that or you could root and install the latest redrum rom as its removes bloat if that's your problem. i still beleive you should get the at&t lte as the american version should be still crazy fast so its hardware or bloatware that's troubling you. quad cores isnt that necessary as of right now. hope i helped

Try a Factory reset and see if that helps.

Old galaxy s II using Exynos processor with Mali 400.
Which is faster and optimized then Snapdragon (Adreno 225) in your galaxy s III.
The benchmarking results telling you the trues.
Lets test it:
Click your browser open youtube and play in "desktop mod" FULL 1080p high definition video. (Adreno 225 can't handle this)
This phone is not able to do that.
Now take your girlfriend galaxy s II phone and do samething....
Phone will play full 1080p video in desktop mod so smooth.
Conclusion:
Go get Galaxy s II (with Exynos mali 400) or buy "God like" Galaxy s III international version. Which is currently the world's fastest phone.
Best regards.
Old guy

Thanks everyone. You've all been really helpful.
Since I'm not even going to be using the LTE network anyway with straight talk, I decided to return my LTE phone to AT&T and I bought an international unlocked one from eBay. I'm pretty excited to get it and see the difference in speed, especially since I had a defective unit...
Again, thanks for your opinions and suggestions, you helped me come to a decision.

It could've been that you were on power saver mode
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

I have the Internation Version as im in the UK and I also notice lag but i think this is just the Android OS itself. Jelly Bean will fix that assuming that it somes out for the SG3. Gaming however had been a little dissapointing, Riptide runs blisteringly fast but still Drops framerate especially when all of the jets are on screen at the same time. I am new to Android but seriously didnt expect this on a quad core phone! im hoping it has something to do with poor optimisation. Nova 3 isnt too great either, I reckon its running between 30- 50 FPS is it just my device? or does any GS3 Int version run at 60 FPS. perhaps i have expected to much from arguably the worlds fastest phone? Modern Comabt 3 runs quite well very smooth, looks like its running at 60fps.

americasteam said:
Sounds like your device has some issues. You should be having a very smooth experience. I would return it for another LTE version, and wouldn't worry about the International version. The S4 dual core is a beast. The extra gb of ram makes the choice for me a no brainer. To each his own though.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agreed...i rather have the 2gb of ram, than a quad cpu that isn't even fully utilizable yet.

Related

I got it!!

Took the leap and bought the SGS2 from AT&T. It was this or the Amaze and what sold me on this phone is the processor. According to the books, this processor runs circles around the Snapdragon and they weren't kidding. And how could you pass on this gorgeous screen? DAMN!
First Samsung phone and I'm very very happy.
Congrats, you made the right choice
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk
Honestly, any modern dual-core SoC is good enough for daily use (except the Tegra2). The SGS2 runs circles around the myTouch 4G Slide in useless benchmarks, but in every day use, they perform equally well.
raduque said:
Honestly, any modern dual-core SoC is good enough for daily use (except the Tegra2). The SGS2 runs circles around the myTouch 4G Slide in useless benchmarks, but in every day use, they perform equally well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The OG Atrix is still one of my fav ATT devices once Skype finally was updated to work on Tegra2.
I got mine on monday(Coming from the Sprint GS2), it was hard deciding between the GS2 and the skyrocket. I like the 4.3 form factor better, the the cpu/gpu but the skyrocket had LTE. I decided for the GS2 because it has the better cpu/gpu and figured since LTE is just rolling out it wouldnt be the best thing to get a 1st gen ATT LTE phone. I'm glad I went with the GS2. I stopped in an ATT store yesterday and played with the skyrocket and it was definitely not as snappy as the GS2. I noticed it most on scrolling through homescreens. It's not as fluid on the SR as it is on the GS2
Had mine for 6 weeks and have been back to the AT&T store 4 times looking at the other possibilities. Nothing else comes close.
I feel the same way. Upgraded from an HD2 last week. It's brilliant!
Next, I think I'll root, just so I can get rid of the bloatware from Samsung.
I like the stock firmware, but I'm also looking forward to the ICS upgrade.
raduque said:
Honestly, any modern dual-core SoC is good enough for daily use (except the Tegra2). The SGS2 runs circles around the myTouch 4G Slide in useless benchmarks, but in every day use, they perform equally well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree, I think the tegra2 is a better/snappier/more fluid chip then the qualcomm, and this isnt from research or other peoples opinions, look at my list below, ive had 3 tegra2 devices and at least 6 qualcomm devices. I do agree, however, that the exynos/mali combo is the best on the market and as of yet, nothing comes close.
Wasn't trying to have everyone go into a debate here. Just giving my own personal opinion given my very long history of phones.
Day 2 and it's already rooted and SIM unlocked and running UnNamed and it's a beast!

Any reason not to get the NOTE to upgrade based on my requirements?

Hello!
So I have been waiting for the GS3 so long that I ignored the NOTE..now that I see it, I am impressed that is a beast...huge phone that fits me great because I use my phone all the time and that screensize is just perfect.
So my only concern is, the International one seems to have a lot more Development going on for it and better CPU if I am correct.
So , how is the situation with this one?
As you can see I love tweaking my phone but I think that if I am able to overclock it and get ICS , I would be happy even if its not the fastest growing dev phone around.
I mostly watch videos and play emulators on it. Mame, etc. Calling is not an issue nor is size.
It looks like ICS means not OCing?
Any comments?
I just would like to avoid getting the International one unless it is necessary.
Regards
Just curious... Which phone do you use now and do you like it?
Captivate on my sig, OCed to the max and with AOKP. But as much as it has lasted, it is time to move on.
I've had the captivate, nexus, Skyrocket and many more. BUT the Note is the best phone I've ever had. I highly recommend it to anyone. As far as modifications go, the international has more right now, but with all the leaks and Official ICS in the works, we wont be far behind them. Some pretty kick ass developers here that are waiting for ICS and some sources to run with.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Once we get official ICS, we will see lots more dev support. This device is the best ive had. Its nothing like a big screen.
-Once you go NOTE, you'd say 4 inches a Joke
well the Note does do the following:
HDMI output with MHL adapter
OTG cable support for various USB devices including Keyboards and USB memory sticks
Support for 64GB micro sdxc cards.
Killer Super Amoled screen at 1280X800 (or something) ridiculously large.
Overclock-able? check!
Stylus input for drawing and accurate poking
Unparalleled internet browsing experience, short of a netbook.
GS3 advantages IMO are only
faster CPU and native ICS. For the new flagship Samsung phone, I expected better. when i say faster cpu, i mean via benchmarks. real life usage, not so noticeable. Actually i don't even know if i consider ICS an advantage. Its not like i hate Gingerbread, however some people treat it like the second coming of Christ.
overlook that and you will be overjoyed with the Note, either version.
Like home PC's, invest in screen real estate, cuz that's what you'll have to deal with more than anything.
The deal-breaker for me between the International version and AT&T version is LTE.
I don't mind it not having ICS now, since it is coming very soon, not to mention the leaks.
Just gotta say I came from an Sgs overclocked with aokp and all though i was a little sceptical about dev support at first im loving my note and glad i made the switch even with the lack of an oc kernel and aosp ive been able to tweak the phone the way i like it with no lags on ics
Edit: you will miss voodoo sound and the wolfson dac however but that'll be missed going to any new Samsung phone
I currently am trying out an ATT note and i do love it. But i still find the size a bit cumbersome and the battery life (while good) not enough for my usage. Im going to import an s3 and hope that will be my sweet spot for size & battery. I wonder if the s3 will have the black crush issue?
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Pentile suffers from black crush too?
Sent from a big ass phone
The Note and S3 are basically the same screen other than size difference. There has been no true fix for the black crush that the Note sometimes has. So I'm wondering if Samsung somehow addressed this with the S3 being a flagship device.
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I read that ICS gets rid of the banding...is that not true?

Comparing Notes

(See what I did there.)
This post is an attempt to make sure I understand the difference between the "European" version of the Note (the N7000) and the "American" version of the Note (the i717). I've ordered an i717, which they tell me will arrive on the 7th, but I know there are two versions and they're not... quite... the same.
Based on what I've reasearched so far, these are the differences:
N7000
The N7000 has a dual core processor that is numerically slower (1.4ghz dual core vs 1.5ghz dual core for the i717) but actually clocks faster in tests. Owners of the N7000 claim performance is generally smoother, but...
... that may be because the N7000 also doesn't have bloatware.
The N7000 has also, at this point, been upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich, unless...
... you're in the US, where everyone reports the ICS upgrade fails, because it's not being pushed through US networks. You have to apparently connect to a European network to get it...
... and flashing an ICS ROM is also problematic, because there's an incompatibility in the processor that causes a lot of roms to overwrite parts of the phone it shouldn't overwrite, resulting in a brick.
The N7000 is physically different from the i717 as well. It has a physical "home" button below the screen, which also doubles as the unlock button.
The N7000 also lacks an antenna that the i717 has, which allows the i717 to receive FM radio stations. [EDIT: Comment #2 has pointed out that this is wrong--the N7000 can receive FM, the i717 cannot.]
Finally, the N7000 has a slightly more powerful battery than the i717.
i717
The i717 has a numerically faster processor (1.5ghz dual core) but seems to clock in slower on tests. It is also loaded to the gills with a number of AT&T "enhancements" that may be degrading performance.
The main reason the i717 has a different processor is to support LTE. The i717 supports LTE on AT&T. (the N7000, which can work on AT&T If you put a SIM card in it, will not support LTE.) However, it does not appear to support anything more than 2G on TMobile without some serious configuration.
The i717 does not have the "home" button below the screen. The power button (on the right side of the phone) can be used to unlock the screen.
Some places I've browsed through claims the i717 camera is better than the N7000s. One side by side comparison even claimed that the i717 had continuous autofocus while the N7000 did not. I haven't seen this verified anywhere else.
The i717 doesn't appear to have the same problem with ROMs that the N7000 has. At least, there is no urgent notice in the General and Q&A forums for the i717 warning that a number of ICS ROMS will trigger a bug in the processor that will overwrite things it shouldn't and brick your phone, and I figure most of you guys would have noticed that.
The i717 will get ICS. At some point. As soon as Samsung finishes AT&Ting it. Nobody knows when, but someone said something about July. Once that happens, the source will be available, and ROMs can start incorporating fun things like processor overclocking and other kernel optimizations.
Similarities
Both the N7000 and the i717 are power hungry beasts, mostly because they have gorgeous, power-hungry, Super AMOLED screens that are freaking huge. Standby battery time for the Note is great. The problem is when you actually try to use it as a smartphone...
Thus, extended batteries become very attractive accessories, as long as you ignore that they are mostly ugly and incompatible with some of the really cool brushed metal cases I've seen pictures of in the forums. Apparently you can get an extended battery for $15, which I didn't discover until after I bought my Mugen. I'm paying an extra $85 for a kickstand. Still, it's a shiny kickstand.
The N7000 and the i717 have a counter that keeps track of how many times you flash your phone. The current working theory is this counter is used to determine if you're a dirty stinking hacker who has voided his or her warranty. To date I haven't seen any reports of people who have been refused support or had their warranty voided because of this thing, but it's there.
Both phones are described as "huge" by the press, but they're actually smaller than the cellphones we had back in the early 90s. The press is full of silly people.
Regardless of whether you buy an N7000 or an i717, someone at Gizmodo puts you on an enemies list.
That is, in summary, everything I've been able to find about both phones. Did I miss anything/get anything wrong?
You got one thing backwards. The I717 is the one that lacks the FM radio functionality, while the N7000 has it.
The processors are not just running at different clocks, they are totally different architectures. The N7000 has a dual core Exynos made internally by Samsung. It is paired with a beastly ARM Mali 400 GPU. To support LTE, the I717 has put in a dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 , paired with a more pedestrian Adreno 220. While the N7000 processor and GPU are more advanced in theory, in real life, both phones are more than capable performers. The LTE network speeds of I717 however run circles around N7000, and the fallback HSPA+ speed is no slouch. It basically boils down to network speed versus raw CPU/GPU performance numbers. If I was you, I would choose the faster network, because the Galaxy S III and HTC One X already have eclipsed the SOC of N7000, which is just a Galaxy S II on the inside, and in a year or two, those numbers will also be beaten. The I717 LTE speed is still on par with the best phones out there, and will be so for years to come.
Battery life, screen quality, software, etc., are about the same. The bloatware in the I717 is not really a performance killer, and stripping it away only requires root and a little know how.
Thanks for the correction.
I don't think I'll have any problems with the i717, but I'm paying an extra $100 for speed I can't use. There's no LTE in Clarksburg, WV, and I expect I'll grow old and die before it ever gets here. For the most part I find 3G network speeds more than acceptable for browsing the internet and downloading the occasional podcast. I'm also a bit concerned about the amount of battery drain will be caused by the phone searching for LTE. When I was on Sprint my Evo would constantly try to create a 4g connection until I turned 4g off.
i own the n7000 model and just picked up the i717 today. Im very surprised at how responsive this phone is how cool it runs on stock GIngerbread v. The n7000
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No lte but u might may still get 3.5g. Its not the fastest. But still a lot faster then 2g and 3g
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Read the reviews of the I717. Most state that the battery life of the phone while on LTE radio is surprisingly good, and almost the same as the N7000. The Evo had a bug causing excessive battery drain. The I717 suffers from no such issues, either on or off LTE. The 2100 mAh battery is plenty big enough to go all day with normal usage pattern.
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ryan562 said:
i own the n7000 model and just picked up the i717 today. Im very surprised at how responsive this phone is how cool it runs on stock GIngerbread v. The n7000
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
Flash ICS on it. I find it even better. I am on stock LE2 ROM with root and deleted bloat. Currently at 329 hours up time, and still no lag
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rajendra82 said:
Flash ICS on it. I find it even better. I am on stock LE2 ROM with root and deleted bloat. Currently at 329 hours up time, and still no lag
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Click to collapse
awesome thanks for the recommendation.
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[Q] Advice Needed: Rooted Note or SGS3

I am still within the window of returning my G Note (which i love except for a few things) and possibly getting a SGS3.
I really like the GNote and the massive screen, the extra real state is really nice! I am on AT&T and really like the idea of the HSPA network backup to the not yet present LTE here in South Florida. I am getting avg between 4-6 mbps DL.
NOTE (AT&T):
Likes:
* HSPA Network on AT&T
* Screen Size
* S-Pen (I actually use the thing)
Dislikes:
* LAG!!! It's minimized using TW, but any other launcher seems to slow it down. Over all it sometimes does not feel as responsive as expected from the specs.
* No OC on ICS (might be wrong here)
* Potential for less Dev support once SGS3 comes out.
SGS3 (VZW):
Likes:
* Camera...I have toddler at home and a quick camera would be great (this is my biggest factor for considering this phone)
* Power...this things seems like a beast!!!
* form factor
* ICS, although I am not as concerned about software bcs it's a matter of porting by one these great devs in XDA.
Dislike:
* Smaller Screen
* Slow 3G speeds when not on LTE area about 50% of time!
Any thoughts that might help me rationalize this decision is greatly appreciate it!
Thank you!
Crey23 said:
Dislikes:
* LAG!!! It's minimized using TW, but any other launcher seems to slow it down. Over all it sometimes does not feel as responsive as expected from the specs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is lag only in the launchers? If so, try Launcher Pro. No perceptible lag for me.
Good luck figuring this out, it's a tight race between these 2 devices.
davaj said:
Is lag only in the launchers? If so, try Launcher Pro. No perceptible lag for me.
Good luck figuring this out, it's a tight race between these 2 devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it's not limited to Launchers, but they do affect normal navigation. I had ran GO, ADW EX, and Holo....and Holo being the "fastest". I just installed Go Ex and it's really fast. I think it more to do with one the widgets that I was running.
But lag can be seen while unlocking, but I hear that the SGS3 is the same...something to do with deep sleep that Samsung uses. It can also be seen while playing some games like Angry Birds. It ran kind of choppy on my old htc Vision(G2) Oc'd @ 1.2 Ghz, but the Note sometimes shows that choppiness too.
One thing that also concerns me is that the RAM is ually running at 65%-75% capacity anyone else?
I can't decide either. My problem is that I have would have to return my note before ever seeing the gs3. I sold my international note for the one x and didn't like that phone so I would probably regret trading for the gs3 as well. Once you get used to the screen on the note its hard to downgrade. Believe me when I say that the note's screen looks way better than the one x, even the guy at Walmart's at&t store agreed with me. Hopefully when we get a kernel source it will speed up our notes, although my note isn't that bad now.
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First and foremost determine what you need in a phone, do you need the Horsepower of a quad core? Most apps aren't designed to work with the quad cores and I would believe that the support of them in ICS is kind of like windows, yes they will use them, but will it use them effectively? Do you want the screen or the camera more? I know for my needs I prefer the screen and the camera is plenty quick enough for what I do, but I don't have kids. As for lag, if it's really that bad, I'd exchange it for another. I only saw lag on my phone after I had launched 20 or 25 apps, running tons of widgets and hadn't shut my phone down in 3 weeks.
So in the end, the trade off is what will you utilize more and what would be best for you. I for one wouldn't trade my note for anything, but again I came from a streak and make full use of my very large screen and not the camera so much. Not to mention, you could wait to get the S3, get it, and in a year they'll probably release a phone that has 3.2GHz quad cores with brand new LTE system that's 10x faster than what we have now.
Technology has always grown faster than we can keep up with, the real question is, how long will you wait to get the latest and greatest? That's the reason why I haven't upgraded my home PC. There's always a new CPU coming out with a new form factor, or the next best graphics card is going to be released in a month or two. My current logic with it now is, hey it works, it works well, I'll keep it until it doesn't suit my needs anymore.
Just my thoughts on it.
Apex launcher is the best launcher for the note no lag on my end. I couldn't see myself going to a smaller screen. My hands fit the phone perfect.
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I will share my views with my days with the ATT Note. If you are running stock ROM..it was a HORRIBLE experience. I had my Captivate at the time and it was super smooth compared to the ATT Note stock.
If you are cool changing ROMS, which I think you are since you are here, I would expect it to be a lot better.
As for the dev on the ATT one dying after the GS3 comes out...well , unless you are buying an international GS3, I wont expect the dev for it to be that huge either compared to the international version but this is just a guess.
davaj said:
If so, try Launcher Pro. No perceptible lag for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this.
lyall29 said:
I can't decide either. My problem is that I have would have to return my note before ever seeing the gs3....
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Click to collapse
This is exactly my concern.....Yes it might be all that, as the hox was when it came out, but after I played with it for a bit I was not convinced and actually opted for the GNote instead despite the additional $70 that it cost me.
I guess I like to be a s bleeding edge as possible, being that at the speed of industry... in two years, by the time my contract is over, there will be 6.8Ghz eight core, 0.5 TB solid state drive phones with 21MP cameras that wipe my butt too.... But reality is that it might be overkill.
The other thing that attracts me to the SGS# is that finally an Android phone will have as many accessories as an iPhone given the number of pre-sales, and the fact that it will be the flag-ship device for the 5 major carriers in the US/Canada. I am tired of walking into a best buy and see 90 different cases for the iPhone and, if I'm lucky, finding the $hitty Speck case for my Note lol.
Lastly, my other concer is that in order to get the SGS3 I would have to go from AT&T to VZW, and I am not convinced at all of going from lightning fast VZW LTE to crawling speed 3g EV-DO signal. It is reliable in the area, but LTE does not reach 50% of my territory.
I guess I'm going to keep the GNote, root it and wait for a kernel to break 2.0 Ghz blazing fast phone. I have read a few reviews that measure web processing throughput and the Note beats the SGS3 in the benchmark. Also some of the ROMs available have been tweaked to improve DL perfromance quite drastically.
The camera is pretty snappy too....It seems to take long, but when the picture is revealed it look amazing!
Alrighty, a couple of things to keep in mind.
1. While most apps arent designed to utilize quad cores, this isnt likely to stay that way for long. Since quadcores are fairly new and Android app developers can actually update their apps without some sort of approval process, expect support to happen fairly quickly.
2. The SG3 has a stylus too.
3. ICS will be available for the Note probably in the next month or so. The latest rumour is July 13th. It was delayed 2 weeks because Samsung was fixing a kernel bug that caused the international Note to hard brick when flashing ICS roms.
4. The stock apps are interchangeable. The apps on the Note are available for the SG3 and the SG3 apps are available to put on the Note (this will become easier once ICS is official on the Note).
5. While yes, the Note is bigger, it isnt by much.
Now that Ive addressed those points, I want to talk about ram usage and lag.
The very first thing I am going to recommend is a simple factory reset. Strange as it may be, my Note had nothing but problems first day I had it. I should interject here, my Note was brand new, NOT a refurb. I had only installed a few of my own apps (Audible, BeyondPod, Go Launcher, Beautiful Widgets, and Widget Locker) and had NOT (and still havent in fact) rooted it. I also updated as many of the stock apps manually from the market as I could find since I noticed the stock apps were not linked to the market. And apps began force closing left and right, battery was dead within 6 hours of just streaming audio over bluetooth (hardly any screen time), poor performance, etc. Before I returned it, I did a factory reset and it has been running great since (on probably month 3 now of having it, I bought it very shortly after it came out in the states).
Strangely enough, my brothers Samsung GNexus had poor network performance out of the box, we did a factory reset WHILE driving home with his brand new phone (we drove 2.5 hours to pick up his phone so we had the time) and since then, it has been working fine since.
Ram usage is normal for it to be in the 75% range. Android works a bit differently than Windows and their is no negative to high ram usage TO A POINT. Ram usage exceeding at or exceeding 90% however would be troubling and actually cause poor, laggy performance but under 90% is fine. I dont want to go into the details here but a quick Google search, difference between windows and linux ram usage, might be beneficial.
Finally, my raw opinion, the SG3 is the better phone. The screen is better (albeit smaller), slightly faster, etc. Software differences are a moot point since all of that will be changed in a month when ICS is official for the Note and you can just install software from the phone you DONT have on the phone you DO have. Source code has been released for the Note and the SG3 so we may actually begin seeing some decent rom development begin to happen here in the coming weeks for both phones. What I would say is this, if you want a better quality screen and a slightly faster phone spec wise, go with the SG3. If you want the bigger screen, stick with the Note. Personally, I prefer the screen size and since I spent money on an extended battery for the Note (the Mugen 5400 mah), I wont be switching phones any time soon.
I guess the only thing that bugs me with the at&t note is opening apps. When I had the international note it was twice as fast at opening apps and the international gs2 was even faster. The app I use the most is cash flow for my check register. It takes almost 5 seconds to open with the at&t note and like 1.5 seconds with the gs2. I know I'm being picky but I like things to be fast. The HTC one x to me, was even slower than my gs2. Maybe because of the sense UI, but that's what scares me about the gs3 seeing how it has the same processor as the one x. Maybe I need to be content with what I have and quit wanting all the latest and greatest. After all this worrying I'll probably still get the gs3.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
littlewierdo said:
Alrighty, a couple of things to keep in mind.
1. While most apps arent designed to utilize quad cores, this isnt likely to stay that way for long. Since quadcores are fairly new and Android app developers can actually update their apps without some sort of approval process, expect support to happen fairly quickly.
2. The SG3 has a stylus too.
3. ICS will be available for the Note probably in the next month or so. The latest rumour is July 13th. It was delayed 2 weeks because Samsung was fixing a kernel bug that caused the international Note to hard brick when flashing ICS roms.
4. The stock apps are interchangeable. The apps on the Note are available for the SG3 and the SG3 apps are available to put on the Note (this will become easier once ICS is official on the Note).
5. While yes, the Note is bigger, it isnt by much.
Now that Ive addressed those points, I want to talk about ram usage and lag.
The very first thing I am going to recommend is a simple factory reset. Strange as it may be, my Note had nothing but problems first day I had it. I should interject here, my Note was brand new, NOT a refurb. I had only installed a few of my own apps (Audible, BeyondPod, Go Launcher, Beautiful Widgets, and Widget Locker) and had NOT (and still havent in fact) rooted it. I also updated as many of the stock apps manually from the market as I could find since I noticed the stock apps were not linked to the market. And apps began force closing left and right, battery was dead within 6 hours of just streaming audio over bluetooth (hardly any screen time), poor performance, etc. Before I returned it, I did a factory reset and it has been running great since (on probably month 3 now of having it, I bought it very shortly after it came out in the states).
Strangely enough, my brothers Samsung GNexus had poor network performance out of the box, we did a factory reset WHILE driving home with his brand new phone (we drove 2.5 hours to pick up his phone so we had the time) and since then, it has been working fine since.
Ram usage is normal for it to be in the 75% range. Android works a bit differently than Windows and their is no negative to high ram usage TO A POINT. Ram usage exceeding at or exceeding 90% however would be troubling and actually cause poor, laggy performance but under 90% is fine. I dont want to go into the details here but a quick Google search, difference between windows and linux ram usage, might be beneficial.
Finally, my raw opinion, the SG3 is the better phone. The screen is better (albeit smaller), slightly faster, etc. Software differences are a moot point since all of that will be changed in a month when ICS is official for the Note and you can just install software from the phone you DONT have on the phone you DO have. Source code has been released for the Note and the SG3 so we may actually begin seeing some decent rom development begin to happen here in the coming weeks for both phones. What I would say is this, if you want a better quality screen and a slightly faster phone spec wise, go with the SG3. If you want the bigger screen, stick with the Note. Personally, I prefer the screen size and since I spent money on an extended battery for the Note (the Mugen 5400 mah), I wont be switching phones any time soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Littleweirdo ...thanks for the explanation and opinion. I share much of what you are saying regarding the SGS3, and I think dollar for dollar the SGS3 is far more powerful than the Note. I looked at our bill, and with the new plans that VZW is pushing out on June 28th, we would actually save about $32 a month from our phone bill (which allone is an enticing reason to change). My concern is the LTE to 3G connectivity of the VZW network...not sure if that is a strong enough argument not to change to VZW. Something can be said about the quality of the VZW network that does, in a way, outweigh sheer DL speeds.
lyall29 said:
I guess the only thing that bugs me with the at&t note is opening apps. When I had the international note it was twice as fast at opening apps and the international gs2 was even faster. The app I use the most is cash flow for my check register. It takes almost 5 seconds to open with the at&t note and like 1.5 seconds with the gs2. I know I'm being picky but I like things to be fast. The HTC one x to me, was even slower than my gs2. Maybe because of the sense UI, but that's what scares me about the gs3 seeing how it has the same processor as the one x. Maybe I need to be content with what I have and quit wanting all the latest and greatest. After all this worrying I'll probably still get the gs3.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My concern with dropping my Note for the SGS3 sight-unseen is that the SGS3 will not meet my expectations based on the hype.
This is the most annoying cellular phone decision (purchase) I have ever done!! LOL!
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions &
Read the Forum Rules Ref Posting
Thanks ✟
Moving to Q&A
lufc said:
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions &
Read the Forum Rules Ref Posting
Thanks ✟
Moving to Q&A
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks lufc, hadn't realized that I wasn't in Q&A. :
Well I bit the bullet..... I switched to VZW. Specs wise the sgs3 seems to be superior, but push come to shove, a $35 a month savings with unlimited voice and text and 4gb gigs once the new pricing plans kick in at the end of the month.
I will miss the huge screen and te s- pen. And I might regret it, but I had to do it from a logical perspective.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Crey23 said:
Littleweirdo ...thanks for the explanation and opinion. I share much of what you are saying regarding the SGS3, and I think dollar for dollar the SGS3 is far more powerful than the Note. I looked at our bill, and with the new plans that VZW is pushing out on June 28th, we would actually save about $32 a month from our phone bill (which allone is an enticing reason to change). My concern is the LTE to 3G connectivity of the VZW network...not sure if that is a strong enough argument not to change to VZW. Something can be said about the quality of the VZW network that does, in a way, outweigh sheer DL speeds.
My concern with dropping my Note for the SGS3 sight-unseen is that the SGS3 will not meet my expectations based on the hype.
This is the most annoying cellular phone decision (purchase) I have ever done!! LOL!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, Im not a fanboy by any stretch of the imagination. BUT, Samsung hasnt created a crappy phone since prior to the Galaxy S line of phones - I cant speak to anything prior to that because I never owned a Samsung phone prior to the Captivate. They have proven that they are ready to play with the big boys, they are even taking on a certain fruit company in court.
Why WOULDNT the Galaxy S3 not live up to all the hype? All the tech enthusiasts love it, ask anyone who has it outside of the US, they all love it as well. I think its a fantastic device and other than a smaller screen, its an upgrade from the Note in EVERY aspect, including a much higher quality screen.
If I wasnt invested in the Note already (ie a contract & a $100 extended battery), Id be looking very seriously at the S3 because the Note is older tech. Honestly, Id be laughing at the Note's screen size (I did originally before I decided to just see if I could live with it) because hell, its big.
If Im GOING to buy a phone, Im going to get the latest tech because I know that living with a phone for two years is going to be painful during the last 6 months of the contract.
Although I dont see myself wanting to upgrade my phone after two years due to the limited things I actually USE my phone for (podcasts, audiobooks from Audible, driving directions and checking for app updates for the 15 or so apps I have installed), my Note is plenty adequate. Hell, I would still be using the Captivate if it hadnt died on me. It did everything the Note does for me (that I use it for that is) and it even had a MUCH better sound processor (the Note's sound processing is TERRIBLE).
I'm still curious why people talk about the sgs3 like it's a pentium 4 to the notes pentium 2. The us note is a 1.5ghz dual core, the us sgs3 is a 1.5ghz dual core. The sgs3 has more ram, which means very little when appropriate customizations can create a silky smooth experience on either device. And to top it all off, with the right optimizations in the rom and kernel, a 1ghz tegra 2 is just as smooth as these 1.5 ghz chips. My atrix was buttery smooth on cm9, my note is buttery smooth on cm9, and I'm sure the sgs3 will be buttery smooth on cm9. In my opinion, it comes down to aesthetics and screen, because everything else is a variable if you plan to flash.
SGH-i717 mesosphere
littlewierdo said:
Ok, Im not a fanboy by any stretch of the imagination. BUT, Samsung hasnt created a crappy phone since prior to the Galaxy S line of phones - I cant speak to anything prior to that because I never owned a Samsung phone prior to the Captivate. They have proven that they are ready to play with the big boys, they are even taking on a certain fruit company in court.
Why WOULDNT the Galaxy S3 not live up to all the hype? All the tech enthusiasts love it, ask anyone who has it outside of the US, they all love it as well. I think its a fantastic device and other than a smaller screen, its an upgrade from the Note in EVERY aspect, including a much higher quality screen.
If I wasnt invested in the Note already (ie a contract & a $100 extended battery), Id be looking very seriously at the S3 because the Note is older tech. Honestly, Id be laughing at the Note's screen size (I did originally before I decided to just see if I could live with it) because hell, its big.
If Im GOING to buy a phone, Im going to get the latest tech because I know that living with a phone for two years is going to be painful during the last 6 months of the contract.
Although I dont see myself wanting to upgrade my phone after two years due to the limited things I actually USE my phone for (podcasts, audiobooks from Audible, driving directions and checking for app updates for the 15 or so apps I have installed), my Note is plenty adequate. Hell, I would still be using the Captivate if it hadnt died on me. It did everything the Note does for me (that I use it for that is) and it even had a MUCH better sound processor (the Note's sound processing is TERRIBLE).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I hear ya.....I have seen multiple videos on the the SGS3 and it seems like an incredibly fluid device. I have to say the screen real state i will miss, but since I am returning my Note today, and will get the SGS3 in early July I am back on an Blackberry Pearl 8130...the screen size is about 1/4 of the Note's....maybe less LOL. So I think by the time i get the G3 it will seem like a huge screen!
I will miss the S-Pen....I did use it quite a bit. I stopped taking my notebook to meetings bcs all I needed was my note.
pyro254750 said:
I'm still curious why people talk about the sgs3 like it's a pentium 4 to the notes pentium 2. The us note is a 1.5ghz dual core, the us sgs3 is a 1.5ghz dual core. The sgs3 has more ram, which means very little when appropriate customizations can create a silky smooth experience on either device. And to top it all off, with the right optimizations in the rom and kernel, a 1ghz tegra 2 is just as smooth as these 1.5 ghz chips. My atrix was buttery smooth on cm9, my note is buttery smooth on cm9, and I'm sure the sgs3 will be buttery smooth on cm9. In my opinion, it comes down to aesthetics and screen, because everything else is a variable if you plan to flash.
SGH-i717 mesosphere
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right in the sence that many phones just need to be optimized in order to get them smooth. I did that with my htc Vision/G2 once I rooted, swaped kernels, flashed a "few" ROM's including ICS and had it OC'd to nearly 2x it's rated processor speed. BUT, and you know a but was coming....
There is something to be said of the posibilities of a device being launched nearly simultaneously on all 5 major carriers in the US...no other device has ever done that (at least under the same name, and never in so close proximity of one from the other).
The other thing impressive about the G3 is the hardware, it's got 2GB of ram, and incredible camera, a very good processor (though not the latest), and note like beautiful screen. For me the camera alone draws my attention, and the fact that the spec are as close to bleeding edge as we can get in a production device, makes me pretty happy to know that I can pull of 2 years of no upgrades.
In fact, when I purchased the htc G2 on T-Mobile nearly 2 yrs ago, it was the only phone on 4G network, and it was the best phone out there for a while, and I found no reason to envy any other devices. I switched from it bcs I got tired of the poor data strength of T-mobile in my area, and the fact that sitting at my office, getting signal was a hit/miss situation, but the device itself it's still kicking....it's my toddler's mini tablet at the moment.
littlewierdo said:
my raw opinion, the SG3 is the better phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amazes me that people make statements like this without ever seeing, touching, or using a phone..
wase4711 said:
Amazes me that people make statements like this without ever seeing, touching, or using a phone..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive seen it first hand (the international version). The screen is probably the biggest thing about the SG3, its a better quality screen than the Note.
Samsung has NAILED every phone. Would people be buying it otherwise? Look at the world wide sales, look at the tech reviews, there is hardly anything negative to say about it.
In fact, the only negative is that it doesnt have the latest processor, big whoop in my opinion. Oh, and maybe touchwiz, but touchwiz is decent now, nothing like the pile of poo it was on the Captivate.

Looking at upgrades - SGN or SGS3

I have been looking at upgrades to my SGS2, and I am a bit torn between the two phones - Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Samsung Galaxy S III (AT&T).
Looking at the stats, there is very little difference, and the Nexus is about half the price for an unlocked one straight from Google.
Battery life should be close, but the specs all show a much lower number then I would expect, so I am guessing that it is from the quad core version, and not the US version.
Has anyone done a comparison? I have been looking and always end up with the Quad core version rather then the Dual core one for the US.
The Nexus isn't an upgrade from the S2, it's a sidegrade at best (and possibly even a downgrade depending on what's important to you in a smart phone).
I've been having the same trouble . It just seems like the SGS3 is a better choice. Also the SGN isn't LTE and the SGS3 is.
According to your question it's undoubtedly the Samsung galaxy S3
but on the other hand if you are a pure android fan and want fast updates from google then it's definitely the Galaxy Nexus...
I would say that the SGS3 would be the better one unless you want pure Android.
i would say wait for the next nexus phone with lte capabilities..that's gonna be my next smartphone maybe, want pure android not pure bloatware from carriers and delayed updates
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Nexus for sure
Jelly Bean makes it feel like a whole new phone, I am probably going to order mine next Week.
crimsonconcepts said:
I have been looking at upgrades to my SGS2, and I am a bit torn between the two phones - Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Samsung Galaxy S III (AT&T).
Looking at the stats, there is very little difference, and the Nexus is about half the price for an unlocked one straight from Google.
Battery life should be close, but the specs all show a much lower number then I would expect, so I am guessing that it is from the quad core version, and not the US version.
Has anyone done a comparison? I have been looking and always end up with the Quad core version rather then the Dual core one for the US.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As much as you would hate this... I'll say waite.
There is nothing wrong with the SGSII. Its freaking awesome, and for me, it's even better than the G Nexus.
As for the SGS3, Android as for now, is in no need of 4 cores, specially samsung ones that are a brand new technology that is still in developement. Even Tegra 3 are equaled in performance by S4 dual core chips, while consuming less power. (as seen on One X series)
I bet around fall we will see a new and decent Nexus device, that i say its worth the waite.
rich.x87 said:
As much as you would hate this... I'll say waite.
There is nothing wrong with the SGSII. Its freaking awesome, and for me, it's even better than the G Nexus.
As for the SGS3, Android as for now, is in no need of 4 cores, specially samsung ones that are a brand new technology that is still in developement. Even Tegra 3 are equaled in performance by S4 dual core chips, while consuming less power. (as seen on One X series)
I bet around fall we will see a new and decent Nexus device, that i say its worth the waite.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The at&t s3 only has 2 cores
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2
I'm waiting for the next batch of phones with a new SoC.
The only thing I want from the SGSIII is that screen.
I would say look at reviews of both and see which fits your needs and then make a decision. No one can make this decision for u
Sent from my SGH-i777 using XDA
IMO, the only reason to pick a Galaxy Nexus over any other phone is because you want quicker updates. It has nothing else over any other device, imo.
I too am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I have 1 line available for an upgrade now and another on Aug. 1st. Problem is my SGS2s work perfectly and even though the S3 has some nice features (zero shutter lag for one). It does not feel like enough of an upgrade harware wise. The GNexus is pretty much on par with the S2 except a slightly larger screen size and NO removable sdcard. So I decided to just wait. But my daughters handed down SGS1 Cappy sdcard just failed a few days ago. She was runing it with CM7 still and liked it. So since I am STUCK with having to get a new phone my dilema is this. Get the SGS3 and hand down my SGS2? Get the Gnex from the play store which I like the updates available but give it to her, then I STILL have 1 phone available for upgrade and another soon so IF something better comes along I can jump on it. OR third choice get a SGS2 I777 for her and waste one upgrade. Decisions decisions...
Sent from My SGH-I777 Running UCLE5 SANGRE AZUL 2 Rom
RockRatt said:
I too am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I have 1 line available for an upgrade now and another on Aug. 1st. Problem is my SGS2s work perfectly and even though the S3 has some nice features (zero shutter lag for one). It does not feel like enough of an upgrade harware wise. The GNexus is pretty much on par with the S2 except a slightly larger screen size and NO removable sdcard. So I decided to just wait. But my daughters handed down SGS1 Cappy sdcard just failed a few days ago. She was runing it with CM7 still and liked it. So since I am STUCK with having to get a new phone my dilema is this. Get the SGS3 and hand down my SGS2? Get the Gnex from the play store which I like the updates available but give it to her, then I STILL have 1 phone available for upgrade and another soon so IF something better comes along I can jump on it. OR third choice get a SGS2 I777 for her and waste one upgrade. Decisions decisions...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That middle option sounds good to me. It'd be nice to have an upgrade available late in the year or early 2013 when new phones start coming out...
Wait for the Next Nexus that will hopefully come out in the fall/winter season.
mattdm said:
That middle option sounds good to me. It'd be nice to have an upgrade available late in the year or early 2013 when new phones start coming out...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I'm edging towards with my upgrade. I was considering selling my SGSII and buying the GNex in order to have the upgrade available for the next batch of phones (Krait Quads) or just wait until then with my SGSII although I would be able to sell if for much less at that time.
SGSII is such a great phone but seeing the SGSIII, that screen is just making me so tempted to upgrade. I'm a sucker for bigger screens with better res. Someone smack the temptation out of me!
RockRatt said:
I too am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I have 1 line available for an upgrade now and another on Aug. 1st. Problem is my SGS2s work perfectly and even though the S3 has some nice features (zero shutter lag for one). It does not feel like enough of an upgrade harware wise. The GNexus is pretty much on par with the S2 except a slightly larger screen size and NO removable sdcard. So I decided to just wait. But my daughters handed down SGS1 Cappy sdcard just failed a few days ago. She was runing it with CM7 still and liked it. So since I am STUCK with having to get a new phone my dilema is this. Get the SGS3 and hand down my SGS2? Get the Gnex from the play store which I like the updates available but give it to her, then I STILL have 1 phone available for upgrade and another soon so IF something better comes along I can jump on it. OR third choice get a SGS2 I777 for her and waste one upgrade. Decisions decisions...
Sent from My SGH-I777 Running UCLE5 SANGRE AZUL 2 Rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well... Give your daughter the SGS2 and get a SGS3 or One X. And you'll have the extra upgrade to get any of the phones coming later this year.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda app-developers app
Now when you say s3, att crap or real, int s3? Because if att one, id say stick to s2 or maybe Note.
raduque said:
IMO, the only reason to pick a Galaxy Nexus over any other phone is because you want quicker updates. It has nothing else over any other device, imo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I know that the idea of getting updates quicker is what is would seem, but in reality, that is not the case. The Nexus models may be a Google phone, but they still have to go through the carrier to get updates.
I think that although a new phone may be nice, many of you are right that the S2 is an amazing phone, and should be good for a while. As far as the comment about no need for Quad cores, I thought the same thing when I got my Eris, and thought it was lighting fast... until the new apps came out and then the phone ran like a slug, even rooted and modded.
The software will push the hardware limits at all times, so if new hardware comes out, software will start to use it, which means that eventually the old ones just don't work right. This is the bane of technology. I also have an iPad, and as of later this year I am out of luck and will not get any software updates before iOS 6 won't install on it. (But that is whole different conversation)
Looking at the specs between the two on phone arena is actually funny, since they are both SO close. I have worked in computers for long enough that I know that a .2 or .3 different in CPU speed, isn't going to make or break a difference. Memory, Cores, and Storage tend to make the biggest difference.
crimsonconcepts said:
Well I know that the idea of getting updates quicker is what is would seem, but in reality, that is not the case. The Nexus models may be a Google phone, but they still have to go through the carrier to get updates.
I think that although a new phone may be nice, many of you are right that the S2 is an amazing phone, and should be good for a while. As far as the comment about no need for Quad cores, I thought the same thing when I got my Eris, and thought it was lighting fast... until the new apps came out and then the phone ran like a slug, even rooted and modded.
The software will push the hardware limits at all times, so if new hardware comes out, software will start to use it, which means that eventually the old ones just don't work right. This is the bane of technology. I also have an iPad, and as of later this year I am out of luck and will not get any software updates before iOS 6 won't install on it. (But that is whole different conversation)
Looking at the specs between the two on phone arena is actually funny, since they are both SO close. I have worked in computers for long enough that I know that a .2 or .3 different in CPU speed, isn't going to make or break a difference. Memory, Cores, and Storage tend to make the biggest difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nexus updates except for Verizon and sprint do not go through any carrier
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